Recently, manufacturers of component-mounted boards, in particular, major manufacturers manufacture various types of component-mounted boards. Such manufacturers manufacture a large number of component-mounted boards using plural manufacturing lines (hereinafter, simply referred to as “lines”) configured with plural manufacturing apparatuses (hereinafter, simply referred to as “apparatuses”) such as component mounting apparatuses.
In general, an operator in charge of a line is assigned to each line. Each operator sets and modifies the mounting conditions for each apparatus in the line.
Mounting conditions include information for identifying structural elements such as a nozzle used for mounting components onto boards, information for controlling the operations and positions of the respective structural elements, and information for improving manufacturing statuses of apparatuses such as component mounting apparatuses by setting specific value indicating a mounting condition for each apparatus or modifying the previously set value indicating the mounting condition for each apparatus.
A mounting condition or a combination of mounting conditions may be used. Examples of mounting conditions include a component moving speed at which the components are mounted onto boards, a nozzle to be used, the dimensions of the components, a camera for optically recognizing information about the components such as component pick-up statuses, the position of the camera, light projectors for projecting light to the components, the amount of light from the light projectors, and numerical control (NC) data including information indicating the positions as mounting points at which the components are mounted onto boards.
Optimizing mounting conditions for the respective apparatuses makes it possible to increase the productivities of the respective apparatuses and the whole manufacturing system configured with these apparatuses.
For this purpose, a technique of setting the common mounting conditions for plural apparatuses is disclosed (for example, refer to Patent Reference 1).
In the case of this technique, in the manufacturing system configured with plural lines structured with the same apparatuses, an analyzing apparatus for analyzing manufacturing statuses of the respective lines exists. The analyzing apparatus is capable of transmitting, to each line, problem-solving information obtained through the analysis.
For example, when errors in mounting components occurs in a line exceeding a predetermined rate, the analyzing apparatus is capable of analyzing the cause and makes each line employ the mounting conditions for solving the problem based on the analysis.
[Patent Reference] Japanese Patent No. 3461915
Here, as described above, it is general that operators who set mounting conditions vary among the plural lines in the manufacturing system.
In addition, mounting conditions determined based on the experience and knowledge of the operator are set for the apparatuses in each line. In this way, component-mounted boards are manufactured under mounting conditions different among lines.
In this case, since the knowledge and skills of the respective operators vary, a line may be operated with a productivity lower than usual.
In addition, even in the case where an apparatus such as a component mounting apparatus has a minor problem and thus it cannot provide a usual performance, the operator may continue to operate the apparatus, by changing a parameter associated with a mounting condition so as to reduce the influence of the problem.
In other words, the apparatus may be operated with a manufacturing efficiency lower than usual due to a minor problem.
In this way, the state where a part of the lines in the manufacturing system is inefficiently operated is the state where the whole manufacturing system is inefficiently operated. In other words, at present, component-mounted boards may be continuously manufactured in a state where the manufacturing system is inefficiently operated.
For this reason, increasing the productivity of a manufacturing system in an operating status like this using the above technique has been considered. However, the conventional technique is for ex-post analyzing and solving a problem triggered by the occurrence of the problem.
Therefore, for example, it is not until mounting errors occur in a line exceeding a predetermined rate that any measure is taken for solving the problem
Thus, for example, even in the case where an apparatus constituting a line is operating with a productivity lower than required, the apparatus waits until the analyzing apparatus gives the apparatus mounting conditions which may increase the productivity.
To prevent this, it has been proposed to make the analyzing apparatus analyze the cause and to give the apparatus mounting conditions for improving the problem as feedback in order to improve the above status at an early stage, even in the case where a problem such as a minor error occurs in each apparatus.
In this case, however, the processing load for analyzing errors and generating mounting conditions increases in the analyzing apparatus. In addition, each apparatus is required to frequently execute the processing for changing into mounting conditions transmitted from the analyzing apparatus. Therefore, the productivity in each apparatus may decrease instead of increasing. Thus, it is not practical.
In addition, in recent years, various types of apparatuses such as component mounting apparatuses suitable for mounting these components are prepared in compliance with the types of components to be mounted onto boards, and various types of component-mounted boards are manufactured using plural manufacturing lines (hereinafter, referred to as “lines”) having different apparatus configuration.
Here, there are a lot of apparatuses including apparatuses of the same model and apparatuses having a common attribute, for example, an attribute of mounting the same components onto boards.
In this case, in plural lines of apparatuses having a common attribute, there are mounting conditions which should basically be changed to the commonly optimum mounting conditions because the apparatuses are the same models, the apparatuses handle the same components or the like.
However, the conventional technique makes it possible to optimize the mounting conditions for the lines having the same apparatus configuration.
Therefore, it is impossible to use the conventional technique in the manufacturing system where plural types of component-mounted boards are manufactured in the manufacturing lines having different apparatus configuration. Thus, the mounting conditions for apparatuses are to be set or modified by the operators respectively.
In addition, when the operator of a component mounting apparatus is changed to another operator, the post-change operator may determine whether or not each of the mounting conditions is suitable in accordance with the condition of the component mounting apparatus based on the experience and knowledge of the operator and modifies some of the settings of the mounting conditions. Hence, when the operator of a component mounting apparatus is changed to another operator, unnecessary operations such as the operation for re-modifying the settings of mounting conditions are required.
Therefore, it is impossible to use the conventional technique even when there are plural manufacturing lines having different apparatus configurations in the manufacturing system.
Therefore, the mounting conditions for each apparatus are set and adjusted by the operator. Thus, unnecessary operations and inefficiency in a manufacturing process as described above remain.
The present invention has been conceived considering the conventional problem, and aims at providing a mounting condition determination method for efficiently increasing the productivity of each of plural apparatuses in the manufacturing system.